Farm Dreams Workshop on November 11th, 2017

Published Monday, October 23, 2017 at 11:27 am

Dreaming of starting your own farm? Farm Dreams is an entry-level, day-long workshop designed to help people who are seeking practical, common-sense information on sustainable farming and how to move forward. This is a great workshop to attend if you are in the exploratory stages of starting a farm.

On Saturday, November 11th, 2017 Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture will join with The Organic Growers School to host this fundamental workshop in Boone, NC at the Watauga County Agricultural Center.

Meet the Instructors

Cameron Farlow is the Farmer Programs Coordinator for Organic Growers School and the Land Access Coordinator for WNC Farm Link. She’s been involved in the food system in Western North Carolina for several years through farmland preservation with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, developing a farm to university program at ASU, completing research projects for WNC Ag Options and the Lord’s Acre Garden, and even making cheese at

Looking Glass Creamery.

Nicole DelCogliano is the OGS Farmer Programs Coordinator. She and her husband Gaelan began their farm Green Toe Ground, a diversified organic farm in Celo, NC over 14 years ago. They’ve grown the farm over the years, and now manage 16 acres of diversified organic and biodynamic produce and livestock, train farm apprentices each year, and raise their two girls. Originally from NY, she has farmed and worked in education in NC for the last 20 years. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from State University at New Paltz in New York, and has a Masters in Sustainability from the Center for Appalachian Studies in Boone, NC.

Meet the Guest Farmer-Speakers

Kathleen Petermann is the farmer and operator of Waxwing Farm, first started in 2012 at the Farm Incubator and Grower (FIG) Project farm in Valle Crucis. In 2014, Kathleen moved to the site of Maverick Farms to manage the land as Waxwing Farm. She farmed veggies by herself for two years until she met Francis Mangogna, a recent Atlanta transplant and local farm intern. They began farming together in 2016, adding livestock and expanding cut flower production. Kathleen graduated from Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Department with a degree in agroecology. Kathleen and Francis are first-generation artists-turned-farmers, lovingly working small pieces of land and caring for animals in the beautiful mountains of Western NC.

Julia McIntyre owns and operates a local micro farm and vacation rental home in Boone, NC with her husband, John. Julia retired from a 30 + year career in the global high tech industry and began working on their farm full time in 2015. Julia managed 2 farmers markets in Watauga County during the 2017 growing season, including starting Boone’s new weekday farmers market, the King Street Market. As they build toward a sustainable farming and value added food business, Julia and John are partnering with the Health Department and are looking for new ways to strengthen and support the local food system by taking their mobile farm cart into food desert areas in and around Boone.

About Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture & The Organic Growers School

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is dedicated to strengthening the High Country’s local food system by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture. More information can be found at http://www.brwia.org/

The Organic Growers School is the premiere provider of practical and affordable organic education in the Southern Appalachians, building a vibrant food & farming community by boosting the success of organic home growers and farmers in our region. Our hands-on training, workshops, conferences and partnerships strengthen and celebrate each grower’s move towards self-reliance. More information can be found athttp://organicgrowersschool.org/